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The display has a "five layer" construction, which isn't as clear or bright as a bonded display.

Two front-facing speaker ports flank a Verizon logo.

The back comes in a ton of colors. This is the black leather version.

Motorola's plastic back insert motif from the Moto X and G is here.

It still has a Micro USB 2.0 port.

The side has the power and volume buttons.

On the top is a headphone jack and microSD slot.

A wheel of color options for the Droid Turbo 2.

This is the "Ballistic Nylon" back, which has a woven texture.

This and the remaining pictures are all back panel options from Moto Maker.

NEW YORK CITY—Verizon has taken the wraps off the latest in its Droid line of phones: the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 and the Motorola Droid Maxx 2. It's hard to believe that exclusive, carrier-branded smartphones are still being made in 2015, but Verizon is still desperately trying to cling to the idea that carriers are not just a dumb pipe.

The Droid Turbo 2 is the high-end model. It has a 5.4-inch, 1440p display, a 2.0GHz Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32 or 64GB of storage,a microSD slot, 21MP rear camera, 5MP front camera with a flash, and a 3760mAh battery with fast charging. There's also Qi and PMA wireless charging.

Motorola and Verizon are claiming this device has a "shatterproof" display thanks to "Moto ShatterShield." Right after unveiling it, Motorola's COO dropped the phone right on stage, screen-side down. The device has a flexible AMOLED display and, instead of Gorilla Glass, a plastic front panel covering the display. There is also a dual-touch layer, which adds redundancy to the touchscreen in case the first touch layer breaks.

We aren't fans of the shatterproof display's aesthetic. Verizon and Motorola tout "5 layers" of construction, and it sure looks like it. When smartphone OEMs introduced bonded glass and display panels, the result was a huge clarity increase from bringing the screen closer to the front of the device. Less space between the display and the glass let much more light blast out of the device. On the Droid Turbo 2, that has all been thrown out in the name of durability. There is visible space between the clear front panel and the display, and the device doesn't have nearly the brightness or clarity of a conventional high-end display. It's a gray, muddy mess.

It also looks like there's a sticker on top of the display, but we were told that it is "a layer" in the protective screen design. To Motorola's credit, the device plastic display cover doesn't flex or feel very "plasticy"—it's rather hard. We'd imagine it's easy to scratch, though. Below the display are two front-facing speaker ports that flank a sizable Verizon checkmark.

The Turbo 2 is also available on Moto Maker, where customers can pick from three different back materials in different colors. There's Motorola's trademark Horween leather, woven "ballistic nylon," and a "soft grip" plastic. The core and sides of the device are aluminum. This is the first Moto Maker device for Verizon, and the company says it will have an in-store setup where customers can design and pay for their device and have it shipped to their house.

Pricing is kind of crazy since Verizon only does payment plans now. We'll just tell you what the representatives told us: the Droid Turbo 2 is "$26 per month" for the 32GB version, and "$30 per month" for the 64GB version. When we asked about the off-contract price, we were told the 32GB version is $624.

The Droid Maxx 2, a lower-end version of the Turbo 2.

The whole device is plastic, except for the front glass.

The back is removable, and there will be other color options.

One side is blank...

...and the other has the volume and power buttons.

The other device shown off today was the Droid Maxx 2. It has a 5.5-inch 1080p display, 1.7GHz Snapdragon 615, 2GB RAM, 16GB of storage, a microSD slot, 21MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, and a 3630mAh battery with quick charging.

The "Maxx" line has traditionally been Motorola's battery-first smartphone design, but here it is just a low-end version of the Droid Turbo 2. The Turbo 2 even has a bigger battery than the Maxx 2. The Maxx 2 has a traditional glass display, no wireless charging, a plastic body, and no Moto Maker support. The back panel is removable (the battery is not) and Motorola will have different colored panels to swap out. The Droid Maxx 2 will be $16 a month on Verizon's payment plan or $384 off contract.

Update: As some commenters have pointed out, this is a tweaked Moto X Play, a device that isn't available in the US.

We appreciate the big batteries on both devices and wish Motorola would offer something comparable for non-Verizon customers. The shatterproof display on the Droid Turbo 2 looks just like an old, air-gapped display, though, so it will be a tough tradeoff.

Both devices ship with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, so you're already behind the latest version of Android. The two companies said they would update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow soon, but don't hold your breath. Motorola recently betrayed customers of the Moto E, promising "software upgrades that continue long after you buy" in advertisements and then abandoning the device after just eight months on the market. Motorola's word just isn't worth much anymore. Combine that with Verizon's poor update history, and we're very skeptical.

Both devices will be available in stores and online on October 29. There's also a trade-in offer for up to $300 toward the new devices. Verizon will even accept phones with cracked screens for trade-in.

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We appreciate the big batteries on both devices and wish Motorola would offer something comparable for non-Verizon customers.

They do, for non-Verizon customers outside of the USA. The Motorola Droid Maxx 2 is sold in most international markets as the "Moto X Play."

Quote:

Both devices ship with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, so you're already behind the latest version of Android. The two companies said they would update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow soon, but don't hold your breath. Motorola recently betrayed customers of the Moto E, promising "software upgrades that continue long after you buy" in advertisements and then abandoning the device after just eight months on the market. Motorola's word just isn't worth much anymore. Combine that with Verizon's poor update history, and we're very skeptical.

There's also inconsistent reports right now about whether the Moto X (2014) will get Marshmallow. If a newly-released flagship I bought in late 2014 is cut off after just one year of updates, I'm done with Motorola. Your choice, Lenovo, so make it a good one.

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Ron Amadeo
Ron is the Reviews Editor at Ars Technica, where he specializes in Android OS and Google products. He is always on the hunt for a new gadget and loves to rip things apart to see how they work. Emailron@arstechnica.com//Twitter@RonAmadeo

The "shatterproof" got me excited (as well as AMOLED again, finally), but if the screen clarity suffers, what's the point? If it's a phone made for people who travel (as seen by the battery), why make it even harder to see outdoors?The first Turbo was like a Moto X for the hardcore (due to the battery and camera), but it's hard to find reasons to upgrade to this one, unless, of course, you absolutely wanted the Moto X to come with a slightly smaller screen and AMOLED panel.

Still, it's cool, and I hope it comes to other markets as the Moto Maxx 2.

We appreciate the big batteries on both devices and wish Motorola would offer something comparable for non-Verizon customers.

They do, for non-Verizon customers outside of the USA. The Motorola Droid Maxx 2 is sold in most international markets as the "Moto X Play."

Quote:

Both devices ship with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, so you're already behind the latest version of Android. The two companies said they would update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow soon, but don't hold your breath. Motorola recently betrayed customers of the Moto E, promising "software upgrades that continue long after you buy" in advertisements and then abandoning the device after just eight months on the market. Motorola's word just isn't worth much anymore. Combine that with Verizon's poor update history, and we're very skeptical.

There's also inconsistent reports right now about whether the Moto X (2014) will get Marshmallow. If a newly-released flagship I bought in late 2014 is cut off after just one year of updates, I'm done with Motorola. Your choice, Lenovo, so make it a good one.

Was seriously considering an X Pure for a while, but dropping support for the E, and even(possibly) last years flagship X, turned me off of Moto. If they can't support their unlocked devices, good luck getting updates through Verizon.

In all fairness, a screen protector is five bucks and I can replace them when they wear out with a new, clear one. I can't replace even this phone's "shatterproof" display if it's scratched, and it's likely worse than a "clear" screen protector. It's the worst of both worlds.

I'd personally accept a display where the display isn't bonded to the glass and digitizer, and the glass/digitizer aren't part of the display frame (although this means dust can be an issue). Glass/digitizer isn't too expensive, but the LCD panel can be.

As the proud husband of someone who already shattered the screen on their Moto X Pure, this instantly looked interesting, then promptly not interesting as it's Verizon only and terrible. I'd forgotten about scratching, too...it's been nice not needing screen protectors. Well, oh well. It might be interesting to see something like this in a Moto G price range, for kid usage (although the Otterbox case does the same job).

In all fairness, a screen protector is five bucks and I can replace them when they wear out with a new, clear one. I can't replace even this phone's "shatterproof" display if it's scratched, and it's likely worse than a "clear" screen protector. It's the worst of both worlds.

I'd personally accept a display where the display isn't bonded to the glass and digitizer, and the glass/digitizer aren't part of the display frame (although this means dust can be an issue). Glass/digitizer isn't too expensive, but the LCD panel can be.

We had plastic shatterproof rulers in school. We'd break them to show how awesome we were. Only later in life did I realize that shatterproof does mean break proof, or for that matter any harder to break.

I have this sneaky suspicion that Lenovo got in the way of this phone's design. I can't imagine Verizon or a pre-purchased Motorola Mobility would have planned to put that plastic cover over the screen. Too bad they couldn't have really stretched themselves and put a sapphire cover over the screen. At least that wouldn't have been as likely to scratch.

i love the idea of a plastic shatterproof screen, fuck the image quality i'm looking at text 95% of the time anyway. but most people are evidently all about appearances. scratches can be read through, don't do a whole lot to readability of text for the most part

It seems like the same people shatter their screens almost immediately, resulting in a spider screen look from almost day one. For these people, the shatterproof screen will be a great improvement. Better looks pale in comparison to the lack of a spider web across the screen, and sometimes little shards of glass all over.

Personally, I like glass screens without any protector. Haven't shattered, chipped or scratched one yet.

Did anyone ask Verizon how long these devices will be guaranteed prompt security updates? Given the recent high-profile vulnerabilities, which remain unpatched on the majority of devices, the lack of a commitment to prompt updates should be an instant dealbreaker in any future evaluation of a device.

My Nexus 7 and Moto G have taken a few accidental tumbles and have luckily survived unscathed. I'm otherwise exceedingly careful with my devices, and it seems to have served me well over the years. I'm not going to invoke the "I personally haven't <insert screw up here> so anybody who does is just <insert derogatory sweeping judgment here>" fallacy, but on the other hand, I really hope plastic screens don't ever become a trend outside niche durability-focused devices, all for the sake of the interminably butterfingered. One of the nicest things about owning even the middling mobile hardware I have is how lovely and clear the screens are. Yeah, I know any mobile device is one bad trip to the ground from breaking, but I've always accepted that as part of the ownership bargain, and I don't need some hare-brained industry trend to come along and "fix" this "issue" for me.

We appreciate the big batteries on both devices and wish Motorola would offer something comparable for non-Verizon customers.

They do, for non-Verizon customers outside of the USA. The Motorola Droid Maxx 2 is sold in most international markets as the "Moto X Play."

Quote:

Both devices ship with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, so you're already behind the latest version of Android. The two companies said they would update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow soon, but don't hold your breath. Motorola recently betrayed customers of the Moto E, promising "software upgrades that continue long after you buy" in advertisements and then abandoning the device after just eight months on the market. Motorola's word just isn't worth much anymore. Combine that with Verizon's poor update history, and we're very skeptical.

There's also inconsistent reports right now about whether the Moto X (2014) will get Marshmallow. If a newly-released flagship I bought in late 2014 is cut off after just one year of updates, I'm done with Motorola. Your choice, Lenovo, so make it a good one.

Ugh, I was so hopeful with Motorola, then worried when Lenovo bought them (while optimistic I would be wrong).. guess I was right to be worried

They had a chance to take the Android market, now they've squandered their momentum.. I don't understand how the folks running these OEMs can all be so clueless in at least one major facet of their position..

the probability of a Nexus5X finding it's way into my pocket has just increased yet again..

Did anyone ask Verizon how long these devices will be guaranteed prompt security updates? Given the recent high-profile vulnerabilities, which remain unpatched on the majority of devices, the lack of a commitment to prompt updates should be an instant dealbreaker in any future evaluation of a device.

Well, they're Android devices supplied by Verizon, so we're looking at a high probability of "don't hold your breath" with a moderate chance of "when pigs fly."

To put things in perspective, the Droid Turbo got Lollipop on July 1, 2015. The unlocked Moto X 2014 got Lollipop in early November 2014.

"Pricing is kind of crazy since Verizon only does payment plans now. We'll just tell you what the representatives told us: the Droid Turbo 2 is "$26 per month" for the 32GB version, and "$30 per month" for the 64GB version. When we asked about the off-contract price, we were told the 32GB version is $624."

The pricing is not mysterious. Verizon doesn't "only do payment plans now". You can pay it upfront if you want to. The total is 24 months x price per month. That's why $26/month for 32GB = $624.

Exactly, that picture looks comparable to my wife's iPhone 6 with a screen protector on it. Android screens with protector aren't any better of course, but I buy cheap enough phones for myself I don't worry about a screen protector.

This actually sounds like a decent offering, but one not tailored for technology journalists.

There's also inconsistent reports right now about whether the Moto X (2014) will get Marshmallow. If a newly-released flagship I bought in late 2014 is cut off after just one year of updates, I'm done with Motorola. Your choice, Lenovo, so make it a good one.[/quote]

If you have a carrier 2014 X, it most likely won't be upgraded, although the Pure 2014 will. Moto actually submitted their updates for all versions of the 2014 X, but the carriers bit back and won't continue with the testing now that Moto's gone with a fully-unlocked route with the 2015 X.

But anybody with the 2015 X will get timely updates as there is only one version for the US.